Portable hand held devices for applying steam are particularly useful in removing wrinkles and improving the appearance of hanging garments, draperies, upholstery, and other items made of fabric. When traveling, these devices may be especially effective for freshening clothes that have been packed in luggage. They are also useful for improving the appearance of hanging draperies without removing them, straightening and flattening upholstery, opening seams, and, generally, for smoothing fabric during sewing operations. In all of these applications, it is not only important to apply steam to the fabric, but to do so in a safe and easy manner. It is also important to be able to apply a desired amount of steam to a particular portion of the fabric being treated.
An additional feature that is desirable, but not typically available in a steamer, is a function that allows the user to put a crease in a piece of clothing. For instance a sharp, clean crease down the front of a pair of men's suit pants enhances the perception that the user is a professional, which is particularly important for a business presentation or meeting. The present invention incorporates a creaser function with the steamer to enhance the device's versatility and usefulness.
There are several factors that make the steaming operation difficult. An appliance that is large may occupy a significant amount of space rendering it unsuitable for use when traveling. An appliance that is bulky and heavy may be difficult to manipulate and thus inhibit applying the proper amount of steam for the time required to remove wrinkles. In addition, a bulky appliance may make it difficult to operate the controls.
Another factor is the quantity of water the device will hold. If the device is made compact in order to be portable, it will have to be refilled, often more than once, to steam one garment. The present invention overcomes this difficulty in that it has a collapsible water reservoir. This enables the steamer to be collapsed into a compact unit for storage or traveling, and then expanded to a size that allows the user to fill it with enough water to have a reasonably lengthy window of steaming time before the reservoir needs to be refilled.
An appliance that does not accommodate different voltages encountered in different countries may be inconvenient. One embodiment of the present invention allows for world-wide use by employing a transformer or incorporated circuitry that adapts to either 110-120 volt input or 220-240 volt input.
Attempts that have been made in the prior art to address the issues described above are listed below.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,986,217 teaches a hand held appliance for use in applying steam to a garment or other item made of fabric which includes a pump, a boiler and a switch. Power is applied through the switch to the pump. The pump pumps water from the water tank to the boiler. The water is converted to steam in the boiler and is expelled from the appliance through a set of nozzles. The appliance may include optional attachments for performing other operations on garments or fabric, for example, applying pressure, brushing, scrubbing or removing lint.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,817,309 teaches a hand-held steam brush, consisting of a support plate with steam holes which forms an outer wall of the hand-held steam brush. A pressure plate with steam exit holes is releasably secured to the support plate. The pressure plate, guided by hinged spacers, is movable towards the support plate counter to the pressure of a spring and can be fixedly connected to the support plate by means of a pressure plate locking device.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,074,192 teaches a creasing iron having a spring-loaded vertically-separable false bottom actuated by finger control. The material to be creased is ironed between the two bottoms.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,497,117 teaches an apparatus for ironing trousers wherein air and steam are fed through a hollow support onto the trouser's fabric. The trousers are fitted through the fork between two upright channels, the cross-sections of which are in the shape of isosceles triangles facing each other. The steam passes through the channels in succession and possibly also through a medial connection between the hollow support and the location of the inside of the trousers when suspended through their creases between the upright channels.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,188,442 teaches a handheld iron for pressing or creasing an article of fabric without the use of an ironing board. The handheld iron having a housing, a platform, and an actuator for displacing the platform with respect to the housing. The housing further includes a heating surface and the platform further includes a platform surface. The heating surface and the platform surface are in substantially parallel planes at all times, including when the platform is displaced with respect to the housing.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,000,340 teaches a shirt press which is formed to comprise a collar iron buck on which a collar is mounted while being expanded and a press iron for depressing against the buck. The upper surface of the buck corresponds to a central part of the collar and is notched in an inverse triangle shape. The right and left positions correspond to the collar ends and are placeable on left and right buck portions into a horizontal surface. The collar is mounted on the buck and a receiving plate, which is arranged above the upper-notched surface with the height thereof being set to the left and right buck portions, supports a central portion. When the press iron is lowered the ends of the collar are pressed and pulled out such that the iron surface of the press is formed into a flat surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,581,809 teaches an iron, press and/or steaming device for hats. In particular, it is directed at steaming or pressing baseball caps. The invention comprises two semi-spherical halves that are attached by a handle. The handle can be squeezed and made to collapse to make the two flat inner faces of the semi-spherical halves press together. Once pressed together, the two semi-spheres should look like a single sphere. Located on both the rounded outer surfaces and the flat inner surfaces of both semi-spheres are numerous steam vents. By squeezing the two halves together, the user can apply the flat inner surfaces of the semi-spheres as a steam press. This is particularly useful for pressing the bill/brim of a baseball cap or other hat. The spherical outer surface is useful for placing inside a hat for steaming. In a first embodiment the sphere in its fully expanded state is approximately half the diameter of an ordinary hat. A user when steaming the inside of a hat must apply tension manually to de-wrinkle the hat while steaming. In an alternate embodiment, the expanding sphere (from when the handle is released) would fill the inside of the hat, pulling it taught. The inner workings, which generate the steam, would be similar to traditional steamers, including water reservoirs and the like.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,061,935 teaches a dual appliance for steam treating garments, having a central reservoir and an electrical water pump to supply water to a steamer or a steam iron. Separate braided flexible cables supply water and power to the steamer and to the steam iron, to which the respective cables are respectively permanently connected. Plugs are provided at the ends of the cables for connection to a socket.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,181,333 teaches a height adjustable pants finishing device that includes a pair of topping bucks positioned in the top portion of a pair of pants to be finished. Waist clamps hold the pants in the desired orientation; then, pressing plates engage pleats to hold the pleats for pressing. Additional pressing plates engage the top portion of the pants for high quality finishing of the top of the pants. The cuffs of the pants are clamped together, and steam is injected into the pants for finishing. After steaming, heated air is passed through the pants to set the creases.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,955,152, 4,953,300, and 4,922,637 teach a steam iron press which employs first and second members and a lever mechanism connected to the second member and when manually actuated by an operator causing the second member to be moved to any position between a position of maximum separation and a position of engagement with respect to the first member. The second member receives water and converts the water into steam which is expelled through openings therein. A pump connected between the second member and a water reservoir feeds water to the second member. A cam mechanism is connected between the lever mechanism and the pump to only actuate the pump during a predetermined interval between the instant of time T1 at which the lever mechanism has initiated movement of the second member toward the first member and the instant of time T2 at which an article to be pressed is squeezed between the two surfaces.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,968,581 teaches a steam presser for finishing garments, etc. The presser comprises a steam-spouting press table, a steam-generating chamber of the heat-plate type disposed under the steam-spouting press table, compressive water-feed valve means mounted on the steam-generating chamber, and waste steam suction means disposed beside the steam-generating chamber. In operation, a necessary amount of water is fed into the steam-generating chamber by means of the compressive water-feed valve means against the steam pressure in the chamber. Steam produced in the steam-generating chamber is spouted out through the mattress of the press table to effect the finish of the materials pressed between the mattress and the cover plate of the press table. The steam suction means further enhances the finishing effect by sucking away the steam permeated into the materials.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,690,024 teaches a lightweight portable electric hand steamer with a special sole plate having a prow that is uniquely shaped to spread the concealed short edges at the rear of a seam joining two plies of fabric which are to be pressed into planarity. The prow includes a leading beak for initiating separation of the short rear edges. Behind the prow the sole plate is provided with a flat pressing surface. Steam issues through the pressing surface to impinge upon the fabric plies being pressed as well as upon the short rear edges so as to render them pliant for pressing. The entire sole plate, but particularly the flat pressing surface, is formed of a synthetic plastic whereby the pressing surface has a low specific heat and a low coefficient of heat conductivity so that the pressing surface is relatively cool in comparison with a conventional metal pressing surface. This has the unusual effect of preventing the outline of the steamed-flat short rear edges from showing through the planar portions of the plies after the pressing/steaming operation has been completed.
None of the art listed above describes the present invention. The present invention combines a steamer with a creaser and, in one embodiment, with a collapsible feature. The mode of operation of the creaser with the steamer is novel, as described below. The collapsible feature allows the user to have a compact steamer to transport or store, but also to have the added convenience of a larger water reservoir than is available in portable steamers currently on the market. This saves time and avoids inconvenience by eliminating the need for water refills during the steaming or creasing of a garment.